Here are three close-to-home and one exotic escape that you need to add to your bucket list right now.
Valley Trunk, British Virgin Islands
This exclusive villa gives a rare glimpse into living like a billionaire. A private vacation home for 30 years, the property is now open to guests. Eight suites in five villas are scattered over 19 acres, and the secluded beach is dotted with granite boulders. The staff is used to doting on billionaires, so anything is possible. Fancy a jaunt on the Xanadu yacht, a sushi master flown in from Japan, or en suite spa treatments? Done. Michelin-starred French chef Bernard Guilhaudin will tailor your menu. (He helmed La Mamounia in Marrakech, so request a Moroccan feast.) This kind of old-money charm just can’t be replicated. — Andrea Bennett
The Verandah Resort & Spa, Antigua
This 30-acre resort, fringed by Devil’s Bridge National Park, is home to one of the largest pools on Antigua. But with calm, reef-sheltered waters like these, guests are more likely to strap on a complimentary snorkel and soak in the Caribbean Sea. Villa-style Waterfront Suites constructed as side-by-side, single-story duplexes come with the best views. Take morning coffee and fresh fruit on your balcony, but don’t linger too long. Windsurfing, pedal boats, paddleboarding, Hobie Cat sailing, kayaking and water hammocks — all included — await in that aqua lagoon.
Rendezvous, Saint Lucia
The first thing you do at Malabar Beach Club, Rendezvous’ new restaurant, is check your shoes at the door before tucking into chef Peter Juma’s creative Caribbean cuisine. The eatery isn’t the only new thing at this 100-room couples resort: The Verandah and Seaside Suites recently underwent a $12.5 million reno. This erstwhile coconut plantation still boasts a private white-sand beach, cozy nooks and romantic diversions, from couples massages to Trysting Place, a delicious orgy of French fare. Unlike Malabar Beach Club, footwear is a good idea here. — David Farley
Santai Hotel, Bali
Amed, a coastal strip of villages in East Bali, is about 2½ hours’ drive from the capital city of Denpasar — and about as far off the grid as you can get. It’s where you’ll find this boutique property, which sits on the ocean and is surrounded by a lush, flowering landscape. The 10 rooms, six of which are stand-alone bungalows, feature traditional thatch roofs and bamboo matting on the walls. Amenity-wise, there’s a pool and a small restaurant, along with the open-air Santai Spa pavilion, where the backdrop to your massage is the sound of waves crashing against the black-rock beach.
